


I Like You, Say It Back.

by WaeRose



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Crying, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Insecurity, Love Confessions, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Short & Sweet, They Smooch haha, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but it is not., but it's not!!!! it is Perceived that way, do i even need to tell u at this point of fucking COURSE its hurt comfort, do you understand me??? they care each other., easy answer: pain is fun., for the third fucking time, if i love him so much why must i hurt him?, its weird that thats called an 'AU' in tagging isnt it?, kindof..... perhaps so......, like he isn't Insecure but hes insecure, look at me titling a fic after a song when it isn't a songfic, uh yeaH its sweet tooth by cavetown btw and it has zero bearing on the plot, what is comfort without hurt??? what is ying without yang???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaeRose/pseuds/WaeRose
Summary: Remus isn't exactly sure why Virgil is dating him. He could make a list of guesses, or theories. He's not sure that Virgil genuinely loving him would even make the list at all.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders
Comments: 14
Kudos: 196





	I Like You, Say It Back.

**Author's Note:**

> I have written two Dukexiety fics consecutively because God cannot stop me and I needed to do something small.   
> Every time I write fanfiction it is a therapy session.   
> I am incapable of writing things that are not, essentially, character studies in one way or another. Fuck, dammit, fuck.   
> -WJ

Remus stilled in shock, his hands tensed up against his partner’s back. 

“ _ What did you just say? _ ”

Virgil shifted back from their close embrace, eyes wide and nervous. Remus was too busy losing his mind to be concerned about his boyfriend’s mounting distress, unfortunately. What had Virgil said? He must've misheard, surely.

“That I love you? You- uh, you don't have to say it back, if it's, like, too soon, or whatever,” Virgil rambled, confirming that yep, nope, Remus hadn't misheard anything.

_ Too soon!  _ Now, that was the furthest thing from the issue. They'd been dating for two months, after all. Though Remus didn't typically prescribe to social standards, that was probably more than enough time to use the L-word. In fact, there were plenty of times where the Creative facet himself had to actively prevent himself from blurting it out (be it by swallowing cement or suturing his mouth shut, and various other means). 

Remus’ brand of affection did not mesh well with someone as easily spooked as his partner. But God, he tried to get it under control, because Virgil was worth it. Virgil was worth patience and gentleness and holding his breath, waiting and waiting. He’d even waited until he was 100% sure his and Virgil's fractured friendship was fully mended to attempt to ask the trait out, despite having been in love with him since they were young. Very few things scared Remus-  _ really  _ scared him, to the point of breaking his pledge of constant bluntness and honesty- but losing the people he cared about easily made that short list. 

But Virgil had  _ agreed  _ to go out with him. 'Yeah, sure,' he'd muttered, face a little pinker and back a little straighter than normal, 'Sounds fun, I guess.' 

To anyone else, it would've sounded noncommittal, lackluster, but to Remus- fuck, it was the best thing in the world. Virgil was really going to give him a chance! 

Remus never expected it to last long. One date, maybe. When said date had actually gone really well (Vee had even let him kiss him!), he'd amended that they might have a week in them. Lo and behold,  _ ten  _ weeks later, and Virgil had yet to dump him.

The end, Remus had assumed, was going to come soon. He was okay with that- don't get him wrong! He adored his boyfriend, reveled in their time together, but he'd already gotten so much further than ever thought he would. It only made sense that Anxiety would eventually get frustrated and fed up with humoring him. Remus had made peace with that, long since appeased with whatever he’d already gotten out of this.

At least, he had  _ thought  _ he was at peace. Now there was  _ this  _ fucking curveball. 

“You  _ love me _ ? Like, actually?”

The nervousness dropped from Virgil’s face, replaced by bemusement. Remus got a close view of it from his seat on the other’s lap. His favorite place to be, typically, but at that moment the proximity bordered on overwhelming. Not like he was going to move, though.

“Ye- yeah? Is that a surprise to you?”

Remus barked out a laugh, throwing his head back to distract from the slight stinging he felt at the corners of his eyes.  _ A surprise _ ? That was one hell of an understatement! Virgil was so cavalier about it, too, like it wasn’t the strangest thing Remus had ever heard. Like it didn’t make his heart leap up into his throat, and not even in the cool, literal way. 

“You love me! Two months of-” he made a sharp gesture between them, “- _this_ and you’ve come to the conclusion that you _love me_ ,” it wasn't quite believable in Remus’ mind. His face was splitting in a grin, but he shook as he grasped at Virgil’s shoulders, tears steadily clouding his vision. It felt like his insides were exploding, and not at all in a bad way. Like someone had pumped his chest full of Build-A-Bear stuffing and bright-colored candy, his skin splitting at the seams to try and hold it all. Which was unequivocally fun and amazing, of course.

Virgil, for one, seemed floored by that reaction.

“Okay, I'll be honest, I had no idea how you were gonna react- I never do, really, but- you're  _ laughing _ ?”

Remus leaned his head back down, more cackles escaping him. The look on Virgil’s face was a mask of shock, from what he could make out through his haze. Oh, he was crying in earnest now, for sure. Big, gloopy streams of salt-water pouring down from his ruby-red eyes.

“I never,  _ ever _ thought that you would say it,” he made a noise between a snort and a sob, “And you  _ did! _ ”

Suddenly, Remus was jostled from his boyfriend’s lap. Virgil had his back pressed against the arm of the couch, one leg stuck out to maintain distance between them. Remus went silent instantly, the only noises left from him being soft hiccups from his ugly crying. 

“What the hell is this-  _ us _ \- then? Why are we together if you think this isn't- like-  _ fuck _ , wait, you’re crying now? What is happening?!” 

Remus gawked, watching his boyfriend coil up with anger across from him. He scrambled for what to say, and for once found it to be a struggle. He scooted forward, fully aware that he was probably cornering Virgil but too frantic to be concerned about it. 

“No- no, I wasn't laughing at you, Vee, I didn’t mean it to look like I was!”

Virgil was wary. Remus didn't blame him; he knew his little Jack-O-Lantern wasn’t very good at reading people. 

“What’s funny, then?”

“It  _ isn't _ ,” he struggled, “I was- surprised? I just never thought you’d be saying- saying  _ that _ ,” Remus cringed internally at his wording, because  _ wow  _ this was not coming across right. Frustrated, he tangled a hand in his hair, wishing he could just pluck out his eyes to stop the crying. That probably would only freak Virgil out more, though. 

Or perhaps not, given that he didn’t seem like he could  _ get _ much more distressed. There was an uncomfortably quiet moment where he seemed to be carefully analyzing what Remus meant- which made it all the more relieving when it did click for him. Remus was sure he couldn’t explain any better in the state he was in.

“You-” Virgil’s expression turned to dismay, “Oh, fuck, did you mean… you thought that I just…  _ didn't _ ?” 

Opening his mouth to speak, Remus found all he could manage was a small nod.

Without further warning, Virgil jolted across the small distance between them and crushed Remus in a hug. The Duke reeled, his hands just barely ghosting over the other's arms. He must have been off his game, letting so much sentimentality get to him. He was the most unshakeable being in the whole MindPalace!

“It- it just didn't make sense, ya know? When you agreed to go out with me. I was basically 100% sure you'd be grossed out, or just ignore me- I only really  _ asked  _ because I couldn't  _ not _ . You know how I am with filters! And you were so- so  _ you _ ,” his ramble started softly, growing steadily louder and more pitchy.

Virgil didn't respond more than tightening his grip around Remus, resting his chin on Remus’ head. The side carried on anyway.

“I knew we were friends, I knew you cared about me- I'm not the sharpest scalpel in the patient, but I don't hate myself nearly enough to tell myself that  _ you _ still hated me- so I figured you were just humoring me. Obviously, I'm like ‘hell yeah, let's see how long it takes for him to get sick of this’,” it wasn't funny, but Remus laughed again anyway, “Which I guess will take a little longer than I thought, huh?”

Virgil pulled his head back, fixing Remus with an intense gaze. The eye shadow beneath his eyes had sunken and darkened, creeping down his face in inky spiderlegs of ‘makeup’.

“You’re such a fucking idiot,” he hissed, “You’re the most annoying person I've ever met, and I’m  _ never _ getting sick of you,” he slid one of his hands down to where Remus was barely resting his own on Virgil's waist, twining their fingers together. “And if you think for even a second otherwise, then you're also the  _ dumbest _ person I've ever met.”

A fresh wave of tears ran down Remus’ cheeks, the saline taste creeping into his mouth. He squeezed Virgil's hand once, then twice, just to bring himself to some semblance of stability. Eventually, though, he caved into what his mind was really screaming to do, shifting forwards to kiss his boyfriend. It was messy, salty, and broken up by bouts of Remus' relieved giggling. Regardless, neither side let the other go for minutes on end, until both were breathless and light-headed.

“Hey, Scarecrow?” Remus’ breathing was shaky in the way it only gets after settling down from a good cry, not to mention shallow from the kissing. Virgil's two-tone eyes met his, a smirk pulling at his lips.

“Mhmm?”

Virgil was wrapped around him with all his limbs, surprisingly clingy. The presence was warm, something he hadn’t expected when they first got close. Virgil was always cozy like a fire, one that you’d be happy to burn to death in. Remus nuzzled into the anxious trait’s shoulder, tired and excited all at the same time. 

“I almost forgot to say,” he traced his claws, gently, up Virgil’s arm, “That I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments I wuv you <:3 (oh wow that's simultaneously a rat, an uwu catface, AND a squid im so talented)  
> -WJ


End file.
